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Installing third party files - proper file path

mike_42547761mike_42547761 Posts: 129
in New Users

Okay, so I went a little crazy and downloaded a bunch of freebie add-ons for Daz from sharecg, heromorph and deviantart.

For the most part everything is good. I know you usually need to copy the data, people and runtime folders to the My Library folder on your computer. 

However, a few of these are not properly organized and confusing.

A couple of the folders are just full of loose files when I open them like; .dae, .dsf, .dsf, .duf, .trx, .obj, .mtl, .png etc. 

Any idea which files should go to which folders?

Also, a couple other folders have more folders inside of them than I expected. Aside from data, people and runtime, they have folders named templates, textures, figures, presets, props, etc. I think some of these need to be moved or copied into runtime or data or something. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance. 

Comments

  • ilseturnbullilseturnbull Posts: 135

    Keeping in mind that I am a total beginner at this, I did find this video helpful

  • mike_42547761mike_42547761 Posts: 129

    That works great, my challenge is when a third party hasn't organized their files into the folders and all the files are loose. Where do I put all the .duf., .dae., .trx files etc. 

  • ilseturnbullilseturnbull Posts: 135

    I have no idea. I was hoping the video would give you a clue. Sorry

  • jestmartjestmart Posts: 4,449

    When I get freebies with the files all loose I just delete it, to me that suggests that they don't really know what they are doing and that makes the item suspect (as in did they actually make it).

  • Freightliner FoxFreightliner Fox Posts: 67
    edited April 2018

    My guess is some of these probably aren't Daz or Poser files, but generic object files with a material file. It doesn't really matter where you put these as they will not show up in your content library no matter where you put them. To use them in a scene, you have to go to "File -> Import, and then select the .obj file you want to import. Assuming it has a .mtl file, it should import with materials applied. However, you will probably have to tweak the materials to make them look good since these materials weren't set up to work with Iray or 3Delight. Of course, object files (.obj) have no rigging information stored with them, so they will not be posable. They will just be static props that you can move around, rotate and scale.

    .duf files stand for "Daz Unified Format". you should be able to load these as scene files just by using "File -> Open" or "File -> Merge"

    .dae files are in COLLADA format. In theory this is supposed to be a universal file format supported by many 3D programs. In practice, I've had mixed success with them. Again, you can load them by going to File -> Import, and selecting the .dae file you want to import into your scene. They may or may not work. My experience has been that it's a crap shoot.

    .dsf files are scene files for older versions of Daz Studio. I believe they stand for "Daz Studio Format." I think you can load these just like you can a .duf file.

    .trx files are TriAX weight mapping files. They are part of the rigging system that allows you to pose characters. Specifically, they determine how the mesh as a whole changes when you move a joint. Sorry, but I don''t actually know where they go.

    a .png file could either be a preview icon, or a texture map. Most textures are .jpg files. But they can be .png files. The best way to figure out what it is is to simply double click on it and open it in whatever program you have set to handle image files by default. It should be clear what it is at that point. Normally these would go in Runtime / Textures. But if the content you downloaded is not specific for Daz, the textures probably won't get automatically applied. In that case, you'll have to apply the texture manually inside Daz.

    Hope this helps some.

     

    Post edited by Freightliner Fox on
  • Freightliner FoxFreightliner Fox Posts: 67

    Btw,

    textures, presets, and props go into the runtime folder. You can ignore the templates folder completely unless you want to create your own textures for the object. In that case, the templates can be useful because they show you the UV mapping zones of the object. This can be very helpful if you want to paint your own texture in Photoshop or some other image editing program.

  • RKane_1RKane_1 Posts: 3,037

    This tutorial as well...

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